With Israel Day on Fifth scheduled for later this month, Mayor Zohran Mamdani has not modified his place on attending the annual Manhattan parade celebrating Israel.
A spokesperson for Mamdani, responding to public criticism from a Brooklyn Republican Meeting member, referred New York News to feedback the mayor made in October, when he mentioned he wouldn’t attend the parade however would assist metropolis safety and allowing for the occasion.
“I look forward to joining — and hosting — many community events celebrating Jewish life in New York and the rich Jewish history and culture of our city,” Mamdani informed JTA on the time. “While I will not be attending the Israel Day Parade, my lack of attendance should not be mistaken for a refusal to provide security or the necessary permits for its safety. I’ve been very clear: I believe in equal rights for all people — everywhere. That principle guides me consistently.”
The parade, now referred to as Israel Day on Fifth, is scheduled for Sunday, Could 31, from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. alongside Fifth Avenue from 62nd to 74th streets. This yr’s theme is “Proud Americans, Proud Zionists,” in response to the occasion’s web site.
Meeting Member Michael Novakhov, a Republican who represents components of southern Brooklyn, criticized Mamdani on Wednesday for not attending, calling the choice “a disgraceful insult to New York’s Jewish community.”
“For decades, elected officials from both parties understood the importance of standing with New York’s Jewish community at the Israel Day Parade,” Novakhov mentioned in a press release. “Zohran Mamdani is choosing to boycott this event because he is more interested in appeasing radical antisemitic extremists than standing with Jewish New Yorkers.”
Mamdani, nevertheless, has not described his determination as a boycott. His October feedback framed the choice as a refusal to attend the parade whereas nonetheless permitting town to offer the safety and permits wanted for it to proceed safely.
Former Mayor Eric Adams, a staunch ally of Israel, pictured marching within the 2025 paradePhoto by Dean Moses
The mayor’s stance on the parade comes after his views on Israel and Gaza grew to become a recurring problem throughout final yr’s mayoral race.
Mamdani, a longtime critic of Israel’s authorities and supporter of Palestinian rights, beforehand condemned Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, assault on Israel as a “horrific war crime” in an October assertion whereas additionally accusing the Israeli authorities of finishing up a “genocidal war” in Gaza.
He additionally confronted criticism through the marketing campaign for initially declining to sentence the phrase “globalize the intifada,” a slogan many Jewish New Yorkers view as threatening. Mamdani later mentioned he discouraged use of the phrase, saying the divide between what some intend by it and the way others hear it was “a bridge too far.”
Throughout an October mayoral debate, Mamdani was additionally requested extra broadly whether or not he would march in all metropolis parades as mayor. He didn’t title the Israel Day Parade in that reply, saying, “There are many parades that I would not be attending because I’d be focusing on the work of leading the city.”
Final yr’s Israel Day on Fifth parade drew a number of main elected officers, together with then-Mayor Eric Adams, Gov. Kathy Hochul and U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer.
Whereas Mamdani has not backed away from his criticism of Israel, he has sought to reassure Jewish New Yorkers that his administration will take antisemitism and hate crimes critically.
On Tuesday, he proposed a $26 million funds for town’s Workplace to Forestall Hate Crimes, a transfer that earned him reward from long-time critics on the Anti-Defamation League.
